Adam Steven Boni
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · Established 1999 · City of Toronto
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 307 handling Criminal Defence.
About Adam Steven Boni
Adam Steven Boni defends people facing serious criminal charges in Toronto, and criminal law is all Boni has practised for more than 30 years. The practice dates to 1999, when Boni left the federal prosecution service and opened an independent litigation office in downtown Toronto.
That Crown background is concrete. Until 1999 Boni prosecuted hundreds of drug cases for the federal government, in front of judges and juries in both Toronto and Brampton. On the defence side the work has covered trials by judge alone and by jury, complex litigation and hard-fought Charter cases, and other defence lawyers regularly bring Boni in for advice or help on their difficult files.
Boni also writes and speaks about the field. From 2004 to 2014 Boni was a co-author of Sentencing Drug Offenders, a national text on sentencing in drug cases, and has commented on criminal law issues for outlets such as the CBC, City TV, The Globe and Mail and CFRB Radio.
Consultations are private and can take place in person or virtually. Meetings at 137 Berkeley Street are by appointment only, but appointments run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, and you can phone or text (416) 873-0510 or write to defence@adamboni.com.
Practice areas
Drug charges
Boni has defended thousands of people charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drug Act, in cases ranging from possession and production to trafficking, importing and conspiracy. Boni has also acted for companies that were being investigated over alleged international drug crimes.
Murder and manslaughter
Boni has defended people charged with first-degree and second-degree murder since 2000, as well as clients accused of attempted murder or of being an accessory after the fact to murder. The homicide work has included clients found not criminally responsible, and negotiated resolutions to lesser charges such as manslaughter or failing to provide the necessaries of life.
Bail hearings
Over a long career, Boni has secured pre-trial release on bail for thousands of clients.
Search warrants, wiretaps and the Charter
Boni's Charter work centres especially on search and seizure, from warrant reviews to wiretap challenges. Boni's articles on the subject include "The ABC's of Search Warrant Review" and "The Practitioner's Guide to Search Warrant Review", and Boni has been asked several times to teach police officers, lawyers and justices of the peace about constitutional challenges to warrants and wiretaps.
Organized crime, conspiracy and gambling
For roughly two decades Boni has defended people accused of criminal organization and conspiracy offences, including cases built on GPS and PGP evidence. That experience extends to illegal gambling prosecutions, among them large cases that also allege ties to a criminal organization.
Domestic assault
Some domestic assault clients are in criminal court and family court at once. For them, Boni has worked closely with their family law counsel.
Professional discipline
Boni advises and defends licensed professionals, from police officers and doctors to teachers and engineers, whether they face a discipline proceeding, a criminal charge or both. That includes police officers disciplined under the Police Services Act.
Regulatory and quasi-criminal offences
Both individuals and corporations have retained Boni on regulatory charges under federal and provincial statutes, including the Customs Act, the Income Tax Act, the Corporations Tax Act and the Environmental Protection Act.
Good to know
By appointmentFees & payment
HourlyHow Adam Steven Boni works
Every case starts with a confidential consultation, and Boni weighs the charges, how strong the evidence is and the defences open to you, together with you and any outside specialists retained for the defence. Boni knows how to bring forensic experts and private investigators into a defence where it needs them, and that work starts long before trial. For professionals facing discipline, Boni commits to meeting and staying in touch regularly, going through the allegations carefully and weighing the strengths and weaknesses of the case they have to meet.
Milestones & recognition
- In January 2010 the Criminal Lawyers' Association gave Boni a Distinguished Service Award for the term as its Toronto Director.
- In 2012 Boni was qualified to give opinion evidence on prosecuting and defending wiretap cases, and testified on that subject in the Federal Court of Canada.
- Boni has appeared several times before the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. On February 28, 2018, Boni spoke for the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers as the committee studied Bill C-46, the bill amending the Criminal Code's offences relating to conveyances.
- Boni's induction as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a US-based, invitation-only honorary society for trial lawyers, was announced in January 2026.
In the community
- Boni taught Criminal Procedure in the Ontario Bar Admissions Course from 2002 to 2005, and taught in Osgoode Hall Law School's Intensive Trial Advocacy Program for Practitioners from 2002 to 2004.
- Within the Criminal Lawyers' Association, Boni was Toronto Director from 2007 to 2009 and a senior member of its Ethics Committee from 2015 to 2021.
- Boni sat on Legal Aid Ontario's Criminal Area Committee from 2010 to 2020, and has been on its Extremely Serious Criminal Matters Panel since 2008.
- Boni has lectured widely at continuing education programs for lawyers, judges and justices of the peace, including an October 2020 session on search warrant challenges at the Criminal Lawyers' Association's 48th annual fall conference and a panel for the association on search warrant fundamentals.
Affiliations & connections
- Criminal Lawyers' Association: Adam Steven Boni is a long-time member of the Criminal Lawyers' Association and served as its Toronto Director from 2007 to 2009.
- Litigation Counsel of America: Adam Steven Boni is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only honorary society for trial lawyers.
- Legal Aid Ontario: Adam Steven Boni has sat on Legal Aid Ontario's Extremely Serious Criminal Matters Panel since 2008.
- Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers: Adam Steven Boni has represented the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers before a Senate committee.
Who handles what
Frequently asked questions
- Can I meet Adam Boni in the evening or on a weekend?
- Adam Boni sees clients strictly by appointment, but appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
- I'm a licensed professional and I've been called to a coroner's inquest. Does Adam Boni take on that kind of matter?
- Adam Boni has advised and defended professionals at coroner's inquests, as well as before discipline tribunals and in criminal court.
- My own lawyer is handling my case. Can Adam Boni be brought in to help with a search warrant or wiretap challenge?
- Adam Boni is regularly retained by other lawyers on search warrant and wiretap cases, to assist them or to come to court with them as part of the defence team. People charged in those cases also hire Boni directly.
- Does Adam Boni charge by the hour, or are block fees possible?
- Adam Boni bills at an hourly rate, and in some cases a block fee may be appropriate. Fees are discussed at the first consultation.
- The police want to talk to me but haven't charged me. Can Adam Boni help at this stage?
- Adam Boni has helped hundreds of clients before police ever laid charges.
Where to find them
137 Berkeley Street, Toronto ON M5A 2X1 · 416-873-0510
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